Tonight's $54 million record Super Lotto Plus jackpot is breathing life into Ohio's sagging lottery sales.

The jackpot, which tops the previous high of $50 million set in 1990, is the largest current jackpot in the country.

A $54 million jackpot has more people, such as Ray Geiger (center), of Northern Kentucky, going to stores such as Skywalk Baseball Cards buy tickets for themselves and co-workers.
(Michael E. Keating photo)
| ZOOM |

Helen Thomas, owner of Skywalk Baseball Cards downtown, said Lotto sales have doubled at her store since Saturday's drawing, when a $44 million jackpot failed to produce a winner.

Still, Ms. Thomas said sales pale in comparison to large jackpots in past years, mostly because of the popularity of multistate lotteries in Kentucky and Indiana that routinely exceed $100 million.

Based on the way sales have tapered off (in recent years), she said, this week has been good.

Ohio lottery sales have declined for four consecutive years, from a 1997 high of $2.3 billion. Mike Bycko, a spokesman for the Ohio Lottery Commission, attributes the slowdown to many factors, including the rise of multistate lotteries.

A $4 million jackpot just doesn't generate the amount of interest as a larger jackpot, so sales aren't as high, Mr. Bycko said.

I probably have a better chance of pulling a winner out of here, he said, pointing to the packet of baseball cards.

Mr. Quinones began playing the lottery when he moved to Cincinnati in June.

I'll keep playing until someone wins and then I'll start again when it gets back up to $30 million, he said.To find out tonight's winning numbers, which are drawn at 7:29 p.m., go online at www.ohiolottery.com